Arctic nations: High stakes in the High North
The High North, with its rich resources, maritime routes and territorial claims, is becoming increasingly important to Russia and NATO. DW traveled to Norway to observe an annual military drill taking place against a very different geopolitical backdrop this time around.
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00:00 F-35 fighter jets taking off for a training mission in the Arctic.
00:06 Norwegians are practicing together with their comrades from Finland and Sweden.
00:12 Lieutenant Colonel Matrix tells us this drill is specifically for younger pilots to train
00:18 a basic skill - the one-on-one dogfight between two aircraft.
00:23 "The reason we're doing that is it's still an important skill set even though we have
00:27 new airplanes with a lot of different sensors and weapons that are really good, but we still
00:31 need to practice that skill set and it's a good opportunity to do that on this exercise."
00:36 Especially now that NATO is stepping up its focus on the Arctic.
00:41 It's a region rich in resources and one where the Alliance is facing competition for power
00:47 and influence.
00:48 "By conducting military exercises like the one here, NATO constantly wants to make sure
00:55 they're able to stand up to any challenge and those challenges have been growing in
01:01 recent years.
01:02 Russia has been building up military presence in the region both on the ground and at sea."
01:09 Indeed Russia's influence spreads across half of the Arctic.
01:14 According to Western sources, its military bases now outnumber NATO's outposts in the
01:19 region.
01:21 Time and again Norwegian fighter jets scramble to intercept Russian planes in NATO airspace
01:27 - 26 times this year alone.
01:32 Russia's movements in the region are of particular concern to NATO, not least since the Kremlin's
01:37 order to invade Ukraine.
01:40 There is a real fear of the war spilling over into NATO territory.
01:45 Seeking protection, Finland has joined the Alliance and Sweden is waiting to become a
01:49 member too.
01:51 The Swedish squadron commander tells us his pilots understand what's at stake in the Arctic.
01:57 "The seriosity in the situation is really something else today of course than it was
02:05 maybe ten years ago.
02:07 So we realize the importance of what we're doing in our training and everyone is very
02:13 focused in their own capabilities and also to build the defense planning with our neighboring
02:21 countries so that we stand strong together."
02:25 And by training together, the Nordic nations hope they will be ready for any contingency.
02:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]